


Afterglow

by youngtaekied



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Minor Character Death, Princes & Princesses, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngtaekied/pseuds/youngtaekied
Summary: Donghyun knows that Jaehyun has never shown his truth to another person in the castle.  He’s never shown himself to anyone else.  Not even Donghyun, and he has been serving the kingdom since he was a child.Bong Jaehyun is the youngest son of the empire.  Donghyun has been his attendant since youth and has grown up watching the most enchanting son of the Kingdom.
Relationships: Bong Jaehyun/Kim Donghyun
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Afterglow

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Donghyun knows that Jaehyun has never shown his truth to another person in the castle. He’s never shown himself to anyone else. Not even Donghyun, and he has been serving the kingdom since he was a child.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The kingdom that Donghyun was born into was known as the kingdom of wit. The rulers were always alert and bright, smart and cunning, calculating and defensive. They were people with absolute power and control, ones who always made wise decisions for their people. The castle itself showed the severe nature of the kingdom, the seriousness and poise that the people within it held themselves. The walls were tall and made of stone, the interior showing those stone walls, the insides mostly monochrome.

Despite the iron fist the King ruled with, the people who live in the castle talk a lot, the rumour mills run wild and whispers echo off the stone walls of the hallways. The elites are high and mighty, easily angered and offended, and Donghyun does his best to stay out of all of their ways. His primary purpose is to serve the youngest son of the kingdom, Bong Jaehyun, and he doesn’t try to poke his nose into anything else other than that.

He values his head being attached to his neck after all. While others had no trouble speaking ill of their rulers, Donghyun made an effort to avoid those people. He didn’t find value in talking behind others backs.

-

Donghyun is a diligent worker, always paying attention to the details to ensure that Jaehyun was as comfortable as possible. He prided himself on his attention to the smallest of details, and perhaps that’s the reason why he hasn’t been thrown out of the castle or killed yet by the royals. Jaehyun traveled a lot, as per his father’s instruction. While his older brothers were usually in the throne room with their father, Jaehyun was more of a diplomat between them. This skill was something that the King had recognized very early on. His older sons were more aggressive, more easy to anger and could easily offend others. However, his youngest son was good with words, good at talking and making people comfortable. Alliances were formed and broken because of Jaehyun’s almost enchanting and mystical way with words. It was like he could talk another kingdom to letting Jaehyun sit on the throne instead, that was how powerful Jaehyun’s words could be. Donghyun admires that trait about him, but secretly though. It’s something he doesn’t tell anyone else.

He’s also beautiful. Very beautiful. There have been countless people who have asked for Jaehyun’s hand in marriage. Everytime Donghyun brought in another marriage proposal to Jaehyun, he’d always just laugh and dismiss the gift immediately. 

He’d always crack a joke as he did it, “Donghyun, you know the only person I want to marry is you.”

Donghyun would become red at that point and just bring the gift out and hurry to pen a declining letter to send in back. Jaehyun always said things like that. Always a relentless flirt when he’s around Donghyun. Words that easily suggest marriage, dating, kissing, hugging, or whatnot would always fall from Jaehyun’s lips for Donghyun’s ears. Whenever Donghyun’s around when Jaehyun’s meeting important officials from other countries, he never flirts with them like he does with Donghyun. Perhaps in private Jaehyun flirted easily with those who fell for his looks and pretty ways with words, however in front of Donghyun, he always held back.

“Donghyun, you’re so cute.”

“Come here, I want to see your cute face up close. It makes me feel better.”

“You’re mine forever, yes?”

Donghyun hears those sorts of words from Jaehyun all the time, however he’s too scared to take them seriously. Even if he wanted to, he knows it isn’t in his place to do so. So he doesn’t say anything in return, even if he secretly wanted to see if Jaehyun was being serious.

Sometimes Donghyun feels like Jaehyun’s presence itself is drawing him in. However, Donghyun usually pushes those thoughts away. The only people who really had those powers were witches, and witches were banned from the kingdom anyways. Witches had once almost doomed the kingdom, seducing and enchanting the people. They were the cause of death and destruction, that is what the king said.

He insteads focuses on making sure Jaehyun has everything ready for the upcoming ball in the castle. Many royals from across the lands were going to attend, and Donghyun’s job included making sure that Jaehyun’s outfit for the night was perfect and ready for him when the night came.

Donghyun is organizing Jaehyun’s suit when he comes striding in after his bath, ready to be dressed for the festivities.

“Looks wonderful, you’ve taken very good care of it.”

Donghyun bows, “Thank you.”

Jaehyun hums and tilts Donghyun back upwards to face him, he’s smiling gently as he does so, a twinkle of mischievousness shining through his eyes. “I’d like to see you in something like this one day.”

Donghyun shakes his head, “I could never.” The only way Donghyun would ever be dressed so extravagantly was if he was getting married to someone like Jaehyun. 

“Someday I’ll get to you, Donghyun.”

Jaehyun hums as he grabs the shirt, Donghyun immediately moves to help him button it up. Thankfully, Jaehyun doesn’t say anything else to make Donghyun flustered or cause his heart to beat double time.

As Jaehyun leaves to go meet with his father before the event, he’s given some time to tidy up the room before being expected to accompany Jaehyun throughout the night and make sure he has everything he needs. It is during this time that Donghyun lets his guard down a little and lets himself daydream a bit on what it would be like to reciprocate Jaehyun’s relentless advances.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t harbour some sort of feelings for the prince. It was hard not to. Jaehyun never went out of his way to make Donghyun’s life hard, he actually did the opposite. Despite the flirting, he was always kind towards Donghyun, always giving him bonuses and rewards of various things that he could send back to his parents like extra gold and jewels. Plus, he was absolutely beautiful. Donghyun thinks that nothing Jaehyun could ever do could make him think differently.

-

That night went smoothly, people were very pleased with the amount of effort put into the event. Jaehyun smoothly went around to all the important people in the room, easily making small talk and drawing people out of their shell. The night had gone so nicely that Donghyun didn’t even have to intervene once.

The whole time though, he could feel Jaehyun’s eyes on him, and it made him flush red. However he thinks he was able to keep it under control. At least to the gossipy busybodies around him.

When everything finally winds down, Jaehyun orders Donghyun to help with clean up for a while as he wanted some down time for himself after the event. Donghyun listens and starts picking up the table cloths to be washed by the maids.

-

The gleam of the knife in the night stares Donghyun in the face when he enters the room. It takes Donghyun’s breath away completely, the blood dripping off it and the blood smeared on the ground of the body that lay lifeless in front of Jaehyun. He would be lying if he said he didn’t suspect anything, however it wasn’t in his place to speculate, lest he wanted his head to be on the floor. Perhaps it was Donghyun’s own infatuation with Jaehyun that blinded him from the truth that Jaehyun hid behind his back.

However his heart clenches as Jaehyun stares at him, eyes bright with the moonlight. Donghyun immediately drops to the floor, kneeling with his head against the floor. Considering Jaehyun was the one to take down the man lying dead on the ground, he knows that he can’t afford to anger him. He still values his life, he doesn’t want to die.

“Donghyun?”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Look at me.”

Donghyun raises his head and meets Jaehyun’s eyes. His lips are stained red with the blood of the dead man, the knife is now stuck into his chest too. However his eyes are still glowing with the light of the moon, skin milky white and iridescent.

“Am I still beautiful?”

Donghyun’s breath gets caught in his throat. What kind of question is that?

Jaehyun crawls over to Donghyun, robes dragging through the pool of blood as he approaches Donghyun, cupping his chin gently and bringing it up to face himself. Donghyun’s breath is caught in his throat.

“Answer me, Donghyun. Am I still beautiful to you? I know the way you look at me, I know you think I’m beautiful. Am I still beautiful now?”

Donghyun inhales sharply.

“Yes. Always to me, my lord.”

-

That is the night that Donghyun finds out that Jaehyun is part witch. His mother was a witch that had tricked the king for many years to save her own life. Using her own natural enchantment spells, she was able to cause the king to become enamoured with her. It now made sense on why Jaehyun was so good with the diplomats. The king never found out that his third wife, mother of his youngest son, was a witch, a blood drinking witch.

Blood drinking witches lived off human blood. That trait was unfortunately passed down to Jaehyun.

“Swear to me, swear that you’ll never reveal this secret.”

“I swear.”

“What do you swear on?”

Donghyun looks at Jaehyun nervously, gulping.

“I swear on my life.”

Jaehyun traces a figure on Donghyun’s palm and it glows bright. Donghyun knows what this means, that if he ever spoke of this to anyone else - he would die.

-

“My lord, are you ready to go?”

Jaehyun’s eyes are as empty as they were before, and it makes Donghyun wonder how many other times has Jaehyun done something like this. How was he able to do what he did for so many years? All those deaths that he hid so well, how could all of this happen without Donghyun even being aware of it? Jaehyun nods and lets Donghyun drag him out of bed, limbs weak and frail.

“Donghyun, I need another drink. I need to find someone else.”

He nods, Jaehyun slings his arm around Donghyun as he brings him to the dressing room to get ready. After Jaehyun revealed his secret, he became even more reliant and open with Donghyun. He spoke openly about what he needed, when he needed blood. Donghyun knew now to make sure to divert people away from Jaehyun’s room when he was out trying to find his next victim. A new system of trust was built between the two of them.

Donghyun buckles up Jaehyun’s shoes as he gets up with a ton of effort, eyes hooded.

“Will you be alright?”

Jaehyun smiles, still obviously weak from not having a chance to find someone to drink from for weeks. He leans forward to cup Donghyun’s cheeks gently.

“Is this you worrying for me because I’m the prince, or because I’m beautiful?”

Donghyun blinks slowly, frozen because of Jaehyun’s touch.

“You’re mine forever, you know that right? I won’t let you go. I’m going to convince father to let me marry you.”

Donghyun suddenly speaks, “Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill me and drink my blood when you have the chance?”

Jaehyun laughs, leans closer. His eyes seem like they’re glowing in the morning sun peeking through. Donghyun trembles until he feels Jaehyun’s lips against his. Donghyun relaxes completely in Jaehyun’s hold, his lips are soft and intoxicating and Donghyun thinks he could stand there all day letting Jaehyun kiss him with no complaint.

“I saw something different in you from the start. It would be a waste and a shame to kill someone like you. You’re not a gossip like every other person here. I can tell that I can trust you, Donghyun.” Jaehyun whispers against Donghyun’s lips.

“One day, I hope you’ll trust me too.”

Donghyun’s heart glows with Jaehyun’s touch.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think.


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